Round 15 Review – NPL Women’s NSW
Despite being a rain-affected weekend of football, Round 15 of the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition still delivered plenty of action.
Read on for the full wrap-up of the weekend.
Match of the Round – Gladesville Ravens 3-3 APIA Leichhardt at Christie Park
A six-goal thriller at Christie Park on Sunday evening in the National Premier Leagues Women’s NSW competition saw the Gladesville Ravens and APIA Leichhardt share the spoils in an epic 3-3 draw.
With kick off delayed for over an hour due to lightning, the two teams put on quite a show for those who remained and braved the cold.
The Ravens hit the front through Morgan Roberts but were pegged back late in the first half through Sophie Hoban.
After soaking up some serious pressure, the Ravens scored two in two minutes thanks to Bianca Galic and Alyssa Ng Saad.
But the visitors didn’t lay down, Mona Walker and Charlotte Lancaster scoring to make it 3-3.
Click here for the full report.
Bulls FC Academy 4-0 UNSW at Northbridge Oval
A rampant Bulls FC Academy outfit on a run of eight games unbeaten hosted the opening match of the round, with UNSW visiting the side at their home ground of Northbridge Oval. A late loss against NWS Spirit will have hurt UNSW after three successive wins across their previous three matches, but the away side are certainly capable of pulling off an upset and will have wanted to hurt the Bulls.
The Bulls took the lead in the 30th minute through Arna Hogarth-Scott, who met a UNSW defensive clearance with a brilliant strike that blitzed through the sea of bodies in her path and nestled into the bottom left corner. 1-0 to the Bulls.
UNSW continued to endure pressure from the Bulls in the second half, with the home side pressing their opposition into a mistake in the 61st minute when Sarah Langman misjudged her pass right into the path of Avaani Prakash, who setup Jynaya Dos Santos for a sensational curling finish. 2-0.
The floodgates were now open for the Bulls to pile on the misery for UNSW, and they would in the 63rd minute when Elizabeth Grey calmly turned and slotted home a cross with a poacher’s finish. 3-0 to the Bulls.
A ruthless counterattack would lead to the Bulls scoring their fourth and final goal of the day through Daniella Naeimi, who assuredly buried her strike across goal to make it 4-0 in the 66th minute.
Manly United 3-1 Macarthur Rams at Cromer Park
A win and a draw in their previous two fixtures have set Manly United back on the path of fighting for a place in the top four after they hit a rough patch of form. The Macarthur Rams however are not back to their best as of yet, with their mid-season recruitments still gelling across the park as the South-West Sydney side make a last-ditch challenge for a spot in the finals come the season’s end.
Manly took control of the game in the early stages with several attacking forays made toward the Rams’ 18-yard box, which often left the visitors spread out defensively.
One of these attacking conquests would result in the home side taking the lead in the 16th minute through Tegan Biasi. The Manly No. 11 picked up a loose defensive clearance and found herself with time and space in the box before dancing past her defender and unleashing a terrific finish that sailed into the top right corner of the net. 1-0 to Manly.
Manly did not have to wait long to double their lead, with Emily Minett showcasing her athletic prowess to transform a teammate’s wayward header at a corner into a superb acrobatic finish beyond Rams goalkeeper Issabella Coelho. 2-0 to Manly in the 20th minute.
The Rams pulled a goal back early on in the second half through returning winger India Breier, who capitalised on an under-hit pass by goalkeeper Jodie Drever in a dangerous area to launch an outstanding chipped finish into the back of the net. 2-1 in the 52nd minute.
A lightning break in the 75th minute would force the two sides into the sheds, however the match eventually continued an hour and a half later.
Sienna Dale then diminished the Rams’ hopes of comeback in the 76th minute after racing beyond her defender in a one-on-one counterattack situation before confidently dispatching a cool finish into the near post. 3-1 to Manly in the 76th minute – which would ultimately be the final score.
Newcastle Jets 0-5 NWS Spirit at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility
Despite having quality youngsters at their disposal, the Newcastle Jets are finding it difficult at both ends of the park and will have been gunning to get the three points against an NWS Spirit side struggling for consistency themselves. However, Spirit’s late win against UNSW last weekend may prove crucial to clicking their season into gear.
Kayla Osborn got her side off to a fantastic start after shifting the ball past a Jets defender and running to the goal line to square a pass for Skye Halmarick, who confidently fired her side 1-0 ahead in the 8th minute.
Spirit’s attackers were causing the Jets plenty of problems, with Sophie Harding setting up her opposite winger via a brilliant cross to the back post that Osborn tapped onto a Jets defender, who unwittingly caused an own goal after her clearance hit the post and flew back in. 2-0 in the 14th minute.
Mikaela Gavranic’s bending corner proved too difficult to deal with for the Jets goalkeeper, who was unable to prevent it from curling over her and in for 3-0 to Spirit in the 41st minute.
Spirit returned from the half-time break hungry for more, with Harding scoring the goal of the evening soon after the restart when she spotted the keeper off of her line and torpedoed a classy strike into the top left corner. 4-0 in the 47th minute.
Halmarick showed all of her striking class in the 73rd minute to wrap up proceedings for Spirit after turning away from her defender, skipping past a defender and finishing into the bottom right corner. 5-0 in the 73rd minute.
Illawarra Stingrays 0-4 Mt Druitt Town Rangers at Macedonia Park
A top of the table clash between a quality Illawarra Stingrays outfit and a defensively impressive Mt Druitt Town Rangers team would have left fans excited for a decent clash at Macedonia Park. The Stingrays had overtaken the Rangers on the ladder in the lead up to this round, a factor which will undoubtedly play into the visitors’ ambitions as they arrive at Macedonia Park looking to steal away with the three points.
A magical solo run from Roukayah Al Fararjeh saw her make the most out of a counterattacking opportunity and ended with the Mt Druitt No. 30 lasering a confident finish across goal into the bottom left corner. 1-0 to the Rangers in the 18th minute.
An own goal at a corner gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead in the 39th minute when a Stingrays defender knocked the ball in via a header.
The visitors then made it 3-0 in their visit to Macedonia Park, with Adelaide Wyrzynski’s volley just inside of the 18-yard box finding its way into the path of substitute Keiko Tanaka, who guided the ball in with a slight touch. The Rangers add a third in the 73rd minute.
The Rangers capped off an incredible performance by continuing to hassle and press the Stingrays well into the final seconds of the match, Ena Harada ultimately being rewarded after taking a smart touch to set herself up for a tidy finish past the goalkeeper. 4-0 in the 93rd minute.
Sydney Olympic 3-0 Western Sydney Wanderers at Belmore Sports Ground
Following an immensely challenging first half of the season, Sydney Olympic have transformed into one of the competition’s best sides of late after earning three straight wins. The prospect of facing an in-form Olympic would have excited the Western Sydney Wanderers, who have been better in recent weeks since their mid-season arrivals joined up.
Tiana Fuller demonstrated real quality in the lead-up to giving her side the opening goal of the game, with the No. 9 forcing her defender into a missed tackle that allowed her the space to fire a quality finish into the bottom left corner. 1-0 to Olympic in the 10th minute.
Olympic would have to bide their time before doubling their lead, with Aideen Keane showing her class to put away a well-crafted Olympic chance that was smashed into the back of the net with aplomb by the No. 9. Olympic take a 2-0 lead in the 79th minute.
A lapse in the Wanderers’ backline led to Olympic notching their third and final goal of the evening through Keane again, who rewarded Maxine Peak’s smart play after winning the loose ball by slotting her strike into the far bottom corner. 3-0 in the 83rd minute.
Olympic would ultimately see out the match and earn a 3-0 win over their opposition.
Sydney University v Northern Tigers – WASHOUT RESCHEDULE
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Words by Matthew Badrov
